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Rules of Nature
"Rules of Nature" is the main theme for Metal Gear RAY and Grad in Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance. The lyrics describe a metaphor for survival of the fittest in the animal kingdom, but applied to today's society. Raiden is portrayed as the weak prey (smaller physical size), and Metal Gear RAY as the strong predator or hunter (through sheer size, military equipment and power), showing that force alone does not guarantee victory and that victory can be won through ingenuity. The confrontation with the GRAD is similar: GRAD is an armored Unmanned Gear, equipped with machine guns and shields, but Raiden can break through its defenses with his High Frequency blade. Another interpretation of the lyrics paints the song as a lament for/by the Unmanned Gears, describing them as "a starving beast" and "a predator on the verge of death". This mirrors the change in warfare depicted in the game - with the advent of cyborg technology, unmanned weapons like RAY and GRAD are becoming obsolete, despite being the core of warfare strategies a few years ago. In this interpretation, the song could also foreshadow Raiden's defeat at the hands of Samuel Rodrigues at the end of the prologue - like RAY, Raiden's own cybernetics are outdated by the standards of the game's timeline. Like all the songs of the album Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance Vocal Tracks, the prototype version of "Rules of Nature" included in the demo version of the game had different lyrics: the beta originally says «'Locked & Loaded'» in the chorus. Unlike "A Stranger I Remain", where the only change was the order of the lyrics, in "Locked & Loaded" the lyrics and duration time change completely, remade from scratch for the final version of the song as it appears in-game. Also, "Locked & Loaded" has the drums come in stronger during the ending of the song than in "Rules of Nature (Platinum Mix)" because the track is not remixed and conserves the original instrumentation without sound effects. Lyrics 'Rules of Nature (Platinum Mix)' The time has come to an end Yeah – this is what nature planned Being tracked by a starving beast Looking for its daily feast A predator on the verge of death Close to its last breath Getting close to its last breath RULES OF NATURE And they run when the sun comes up With their lives on the line (Alive) For a while (No choice) Gotta follow the laws of the wild (Alive) With their lives on the line (No choice) Out here only the strong survive What’s done is done Survived to see another day The game of life The hunter and the agile prey No guarantee Which of them will succeed Strong or weak (yell) Rules of Nature Rules of Nature Official lyrics from Platinum Games 'Locked & Loaded (demo/original version)' Locked and loaded Let the mercury rise on up And it boils in my blood (Alive) I swear I'll Tear at the seams till you come undone I take it all – I take it all with me right I save it up – I save it up for the fight I feel the heat The temperature rising I'll make you bleed (yell) Locked and loaded Credits and original composition Written by: Jamie Christopherson Lyrics by: Jamie Christopherson & Graeme Cornies Produced & Mixed by: Jamie Christopherson Remixed by: Akira Takizawa Vocals Recorded by: Logan Mader Vocals: Jason Miller Guitars: Aaron Kaplan & Graeme Cornies Drums: Ralph Alexander Programming: Graeme Cornies & Jamie Christopherson Category:Songs Category:Music in Metal Gear Rising